Examples of significantly strengthening protections of IPR include anticounterfeiting measures and anti-trade-distortion measures.

The World Intellectual Property Organization offers a wide range of legal-technical assistance, including expert advisory services and education and training programs, for improving developing country intellectual property laws and administrative systems. Such assistance has resulted in some significant accomplishments. However, due primarily to developing country opposition, this organization has been limited as a forum for strengthening worldwide protection of intellectual property rights through multilateral negotiations. Indeed, over the past decade, the U.S. government has opposed developing country efforts to weaken existing standards m this forum. Recognizing this, recent U S government efforts in the World Intellectual Property Organization have focused largely on supporting its legal-technical assistance efforts, possible U.S. adherence to an existing international copyright convention, and other more specialized matters where there may be less developing country opposition.

The U.S. government has turned to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, the primary multilateral trade forum, in its attempts to significantly strengthen national protection of intellectual property rights It has outlined two proposals for consideration by this forum: (1) completion and implementation of an anticounterfeiting code that would require participating countries to interdict counterfeit imports and (2) establishment of an enforceable agreement against trade-distorting practices arising from inadequate protection of intellectual property rights Although the time required to negotiate these agreements will prevent them from having any immediate impact, they may have some long-term beneficial effect, depending on their membership and content.